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theorion.com | Wednesday, October 28, 2015 | Vol. 75, Issue 10 | First copy free, additional copies 50¢

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Chico State receives 3 of 5 stars for gender inclusivity Elizabeth Castillo

Staff Writer This semester, Chico State hopes to improve LGBT resources on campus after receiving three out of five stars on a national ranking. The Campus Pride Index evaluates colleges based on a variety of LGBT inclusion factors. Some members of the LGBT communities on campus experience issues with inclusiveness on a daily basis. Chico State needs to improve its score by adding more LGBT resources on campus, said Kory Masen, trans program development intern for the Gender and Sexuality Equity Center.

University Farm partners with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, who provides cattle to the farm where students care for and feed them until they are grown. of advancement. “I think our farm stands out because it is one unified farm where everything Staff Writer works together.” By collaborating with local businesses and reDeforest said the 800-acre campus farm is difducing waste on both sides, the University Farm ferent because it’s all together and not spread has been named the most out across campus like sustainable in the nation. other universities, such as I think our farm The ranking for college Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. stands out befarms works on a point The university farm has cause it is one system and takes things 200 acres of orchards, an unified farm like acreage and number organic dairy farm and a where everything meat laboratory that is inof crops into considerworks together. ation. spected by the USDA. “I think it’s a nice recAlthough rankings like Srah DeForest, College ognition of what we’re this come out on a regular of Agriculture director of doing here at Chico State basis, they aren’t always advancement and the significance that reliable, DeForest said. sustainability plays on “The reason we looked our campus and in agriculture in general,” said at this one skeptically when we first saw it was Sarah DeForest, College of Agriculture director because there was another ranking that came Austin Herbaugh

out within the past year,” she said, referring to another website that said Butte College has a dairy farm. “They don’t have a dairy, we have a dairy. So it wasn’t accurate information.” She said they checked the accuracy of the most recent rating and how the ranking was done. They found that all the information is correct. Part of what was considered in the ranking is how the University Farm partners with local businesses such as Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, according to DeForest. The company provides cattle to the farm where students care for and feed them until they are grown. The cattle are fed by the byproducts of brewing beer. They eat the spent hops and yeast along with the usual grains and hay. When the cattle weigh enough they are taken

Graduation rates surge, campus diversifies However the gap between these

Gabriel Sandoval

groups closed by 1 percent.

Staff Writer

The data also shows that in the

Alicia Brogden/The Orion

“We need a guide to help trans students navigate Chico State because it’s a hostile environment,” he said. This semester, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion hopes to take a closer look at the issues affecting the LGBT communities on campus. Tray Robinson, Office of Diversity and Inclusion director, personally filed the form for Chico State’s Campus Pride Index and was given recommendations for improvements on campus. “We’re fortunate that we have an administration that is supportive of LGBTQ issues,” Robinson said. “That’s not the case at many other campuses.” In an effort to increase its score, Chico State is implementing more LGBT resources on campus and improving the ones already in place.

Gender-inclusive bathrooms “Imagine being a community that needs a how-to guide to navigate

» please see FARM | A8

» please see LGBT | A3

vices, offices and efforts are now

concerns and discuss ways to im-

taking place in a more energetic

prove graduation rates.

and positive way,” he said.

Back in 2002, one in three minor-

A notable spike in graduation

ity students graduated within six

rates emerged in 2009 when Chico

years. From 2003 to 2009, the gradua-

State began a project prompted by

tion rates of those students steadily

the Chancellor’s Office called the

improved as their population snow-

students has more than doubled in

Graduation Initiative. The idea was

balled. In 2010 the rate surged by 8.3

the last decade, going from 518 in

to improve graduation rates.

percent, elevating it to 51.2 percent.

2006 to 1,330 in 2014.

“Part of what started happening

The spike was unprecedented.

Two years ago Chico State’s

last decade, the number of low-

Zingg said the achievement gap

was just even looking at the data,

“We saw a change almost imme-

achievement gap for graduation

income and minority students has

was probably wider in previous

even paying attention to it,” said

diately,” Patterson said. “You can’t

rates was nearly twice the average

dramatically increased as the grad-

years because many service depart-

Chela Patterson, Graduation Initia-

impact a graduation rate in one

institutional-level gap of colleges

uation gap between these students

ments were operating in “silos”—

tive committee member and Educa-

year, it takes four to six years. So

and universities nationwide.

and others has gradually tapered

without much communication be-

tion Opportunity Program director.

we were already, in some ways, on

off.

tween them.

Since then, committee members

a trajectory to increase graduation

The

gap

between

low-income

students who received federal Pell

It is important to note that low-

“The conversations that need to

from around campus have been

grants and other college students

income and minority students are

occur among various student ser-

meeting to analyze data, pinpoint

was 9.7 percent in 2013 while the

not synonymous, although a clear

average institutional-level gap be-

correlation exists between them.

tween these populations was 5.7 per-

This means many Pell Grant recipi-

cent, according Education Trust.

ents identify themselves as minor-

Chico State’s graduation gap was

ity students.

also wider than 66 percent of the

Chico State President Paul Zingg

1,149 public and private institutions

said strategic planning spurred the

surveyed, said Meredith Welch, re-

changes in demographics and grad-

search analyst for Education Trust.

uation rates seen today.

Graduation rates, however, have improved

cent nine years

both of these

You can’t impact a graduation rate in one year, it takes four to six years.

populations at Chico State since 2013, acthe

Office of

In-

ago,” he said. Back then, it was one of the largest in the CSU system. Zingg

Chela Patterson, Education Oppotunity Program coordinator

stitutional Research. Two

“The achievement gap was 21 per-

for

cording

years

ago, Pell Grant

said

also during

his first year as president in 2004, 11 percent

recipients had

incoming

a graduation rate of 49 percent.

first-year students were non-white.

This year, it was 57 percent. Mean-

This year the number skyrocketed

while non-Pell Grant recipients

to 58 percent.

went from 59 to 66 percent.

Stephanie Schmieding/The Orion

The number of Pell Grant-eligible

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» please see GRADUATION | A3